Sleepless in Miami
by Amanda Hawthorn
Summary: A short one shot centred around the nightmare scene in 5x03 Mind Games. Fiona helps Michael after he's plagued with nightmares


**Rating T**

**Burn notice unfortunately doesn't belong to me. I'm just playing with the characters for a while. I'll give them back, promise!**

**This came from that nightmare scene in Mind Games. **

Sleepless in Miami

Fiona's eyes snapped open. Michael's tossing and turning had brought her from the deep realms of sleep to pull her back into wakefulness. When she saw him sitting bolt upright again, she knew his nightmares were getting worse.

Sitting up, she shifted closer to his rigid body and eased the gun out of his out iron tight grip.

"There's no one there," she told him in a soothing whisper when her eyes followed his towards the loft's locked door. "You're dreaming."

When he didn't move she placed his gun onto her beside table and turned back to him to place soft kisses onto his neck, whispering how she would take care of him while she eased him back down onto the mattress beside her.

Slipping her hand beneath his vest she moved her hand to his chest, rubbing her fingers over his skin in circle motions, soothing his senses as his breathing started to slow down and his heart rate returned to normal.

"It's okay," she whispered softly when she shifted a little closer to kiss his shoulder, all the while keeping a watchful eyes on him.

He nodded silently and turned to his side, taking her hand from under his vest to hold it in his. Placing a soft kiss onto her fingers, he shuffled closer until his head was on her chest.

Fiona's heart ached for him. Every night since she'd moved in with him he'd had a broken sleep. Sometimes he moved restlessly and never woke from his dreams, and others he was like this, scared and broken like a frightened child.

She slid her arms up his back, resting one of her hands onto his shoulder while the other lay against his head. She flexed her fingers, threading her digits through his hair and held him close, letting her touch sooth him back into slumber.

She didn't sleep for the rest of the night. She held him against her, letting the rise and fall of his chest ease her worries, at least for the time being.

The next night she didn't sleep. She lay beside him when he climbed into bed and slipped her hand over his bare chest. He offered her a tired smile when she shuffled closer, as if trying to apologise for something he had no control over.

His uneasiness broke her heart. Leaning into his side she placed a soft kiss onto his cheek and lay back down beside him, watching him while she stroked his skin. When his eyes slipped closed she let out a relieved breath, but continued to watch him for any signs of distress.

It was later that night when Michael opened his eyes, but it wasn't a nightmare that awoke him this time. He glanced at the clock, surprised that he'd slept for a solid five hours without a nightmare. He could feel Fiona's hand on his chest in the same position it had been when he'd fallen asleep earlier that night.

Turning his head he expected to find her sound asleep, her face relaxed in a peaceful slumber. But when he turned he saw her eyes wide open, fixed on him with a worried gaze.

"Are you okay?" she asked tiredly as her fingers began stroking his skin again. "You've slept for five hours without a nightmare."

"How do you know that?" he asked softly as he turned onto his side to face her.

"I've been watching you," she smiled sleepily. "You didn't toss or turn once."

"Fi, you need to sleep," he told her as he lifted his arms to wrap around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. She was asleep almost instantly.

On the third night, after he finally came to bed when she'd caught him looking through his files, Michael turned in his sleep and automatically reached for the warm body beside him. Her voice startled him and he opened his eyes, surprised to see her watchful eyes on him.

"Why aren't you asleep?" he asked worriedly as he blinked sleep from his eyes.

"I'm okay," she sighed softly when she leaned into his chest and yawned tiredly. "You're sleeping better."

"Fiona?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't tell me you've been watching me sleep all this time," he whispered.

"I haven't been watching you sleep all this time," she told him with a smile as she placed a soft kiss to his chest. "I'm fine Michael."

"Fi—"

"Shh," she told him in a whisper as she made small circles on his chest with her fingers. "Go back to sleep."

"Fi, why aren't you sleeping?"

"Shh," she sighed. "I'm okay."

"Is it because I didn't shred the files?" he asked her worriedly, inclining his head so that he could see her face.

"You're not ready to let go," she told him softly but refused to meet his eyes. "I understand why you can't."

Michael closed his eyes tightly, regret soaring through him. Pulling her close against him he placed soft kisses into her hair and waited until he felt her relax against him as she slipped into sleep. He knew what he had to do, and already a plan formulated in his mind.

When Fiona awoke that morning she was alone in their bed and the sun was shining through the windows. Sitting up she looked around the room but he was nowhere to be seen.

The door to the loft creaked open and he eased himself inside carrying breakfast cartons and coffee, trying to be as quiet as he could.

"Michael?"

Her voice startled him but he quickly pushed it away as he greeted her with a wide smile.

"Hey, I thought you'd still be asleep," he told her as he placed the bags and coffee onto the kitchen counter then crawled onto the bed beside her. Easing her back down onto the mattress he placed a lingering kiss onto her lips before leaning up on one of his elbows to gaze down at her.

"You're right. I'm not ready to let go yet," he told her. "So I took the files over to my moms."

"You did that?" she asked surprised. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"You needed to sleep," he told her, punctuating his words with a kiss. "You've been up half the night watching me."

"I'm worried about you," she told him honestly. "That's all."

"I know," he told her with an affectionate smile before he climbed off of the bed to sit on the edge. "I've brought you breakfast, and then I thought we could go and get those drapes you wanted."

He was just about to move away when she grabbed hold of his hand, stopping his movements. Pulling him back towards her, her smouldering smile told him exactly what she had on her mind. He followed her lead and eagerly sank back down onto the bed beside her, breakfast and nightmares forgotten….

end


End file.
